Sayyed Fadlullah: The nation should adopt a unified Islamic position that affirms the right of its states to possess the essential scientific capabilities to serve and defend its economic and political future in the face of the American and Zionist ghoul that is targeting not only their present but their future as well.

Asked in his weekly seminar the following question: the International Atomic Energy time limit for Iran to stop enriching Uranium ends at the 25th of this month. Meanwhile, several American, European and Israeli threats are being made, making the entire region look like it is about to witness a big war soon.

How do you view the repercussions? And what is the Islamic stance regarding the acquiring of elements of scientific and technological strength including the nuclear strength?

The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, said:

The world has been trying to convince Iran to give up enriching uranium, with the US and Israel making threats while Europe providing some incentives. All this aims at thwarting Iran's progress in nuclear technology and hindering its right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, despite the fact that other states in the world like Brazil and South Africa are continuing their nuclear program without any Western objection.

It is evident that the American Administration that serves the Israeli interests in the region wants to go all the way in besieging Iran politically and economically to prevent it from joining the club of advanced technological nations.

But this is only one of two goals. The other being trying to persuade the Iranians by means of temptations to withdraw from its strategic Islamic role in defending Palestinian rights. Since the Palestinian cause is still and will remain the major Arab and Islamic issue, the Americans want Iran and all Arabs and Muslims to stop their support to.

In this respect, we notice an American and European commitment to the security of Israel, at the expense of the security of the entire region. 

Although there are certain differences between the American and European positions, Israel’s security even when it means setting the entire region on fire, or putting it in a political and economic chaos, is still the first priority of the Western powers.

Israel's supremacy is an American principle but it is being executed by both America and Europe. This principle is based on the presumption that whatever technology Iran might possess could benefit some of the liberation movements the West considers as terrorist movements, where as Israel's possession of nuclear weapons means the possession of strategic weapons it uses to defend itself in the middle of the Arab and Muslim world.

On the other hand, the possession of any Arab or Muslim country of any strategic weapon or advanced technology is considered a threat to world security.

The West is presenting Iran as a strategic threat to intimidate the Islamic Republic and prevent it from acquiring the bombs, despite the fact that it knows the Islamic ruling that deems unlawful the possession of weapons that endangers man and the environment except in extreme cases of self defense.

They want Iran not even to think about a nuclear program, for they wish to calm any Israeli fears, and keep the Arab and Muslim region void of any presumed threat to their Zionist enemy so as to say to Sharon and other Zionist officials that the elimination of the Iraqi military threat was only the first step, and that the political and economic means precede other direct ways of dealing with the Iranian threat.

Although we do not wish to underestimate the threats Iran is facing and the wise and cautious way Iran is dealing with them, we know that Iran is no Iraq, and that America today which has sunk in the Iraqi quicksand is not the same as yesterday.

Furthermore, the entire region will destabilize, if America or Israel hit Iran. That is why we find that the law passed by the Iranian parliament ordering the government to continue to enrich uranium is a rational and a carefully studied move, despite all the surrounding dangers.

In addition, we call on all Arab and Muslim countries to consider that they too are concerned with the threats since they target the Islamic political, economic and scientific capabilities of the whole nation. We also call on them not to listen to what Israel and America are trying to convince them of.

They should not be afraid of any Iranian force, for Iran, as it has proven, is not a force of aggression. It only aims at protecting the nation and its causes. This nation should adopt a unified Islamic position that affirms the right of its states to possess the essential scientific capabilities to serve and defend its economic and political future in the face of the American and Zionist ghoul that is targeting not only their present but their future as well.